Anthony Beauvillier is a smart pickup for Blackhawks

With the Chicago Blackhawks acquiring Anthony Beauvillier from the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday following the termination of Corey Perry’s contract, Daily Faceoff President and insider Frank Seravalli weighs in on why the deal is good for Chicago. 

Tyler Yarmechuk: What did you make of the Blackhawks acquiring Beauvillier for a fifth-round pick? This makes sense to me. You don’t give up a lot, you get a 27-year-old who in the past has scored at a 20-goal pace and if it fits, then it works. But what did you make of the trade?

Frank Seravalli: Yeah I think they weren’t wasting any time. With Taylor Hall out for the season and you’ve got Corey Perry now gone. That’s significant support you signed to play in and around Connor Bedard for more scoring help and that’s gone. That part the Blackhawks felt like they had to address and Beauvillier is a decent enough shot and obviously has been playing deeper in the Canucks lineup and not scoring at a pace he should be. This is a one-time 20-goal scorer that people wonder if he can get back to and that’s what makes him an interesting piece. There’s evidence out there that he can’t, you saw the New York Islanders give up on him, but we will see. I don’t think the Blackhawks are even thinking down the line about a player that can flip, I think they are trying to provide enough roster support for their young players and having Beauvillier step in helps. 

From the Canucks perspective, this is a player they thought at some point they’d have to give up an asset to trade for but now they get $4.15 million in cap space and they get a little something in return, not much, but something. It’s one of those deals that makes sense for both sides.